Little Moments
by ElisaCollette
Summary: After the angst and drama of Try Again Tomorrow and the accompanying stories, this is just a set a one-shot stories from the same universe. Join Violet, Lily, Coral, and Scarlet as they grown up in the shadows and sunlight of Jade, Beck, Freddie, Tori, Cat, and others. First installment: Hollywood Arts, Take Two. Story Two - Jade deals with Violet questioning Lily's background.
1. Hollywood Arts, Take Two

Short, sweet, and fluffy. I hope you enjoy! Please review if you do - I have a few more to add - and hopefully more if inspiration continues to strike.

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Little Moments

Story One – Hollywood Arts, Take 2

Violet was so excited, she was practically humming with energy. Lily was more on the terrified side of things. Violet skipped to the front door of Hollywood Arts, far in front of her parents. Lily held Tori's hand and when they got within a few feet, grabbed for Freddie's as well. It was Lane who met them in the front hallway. He welcomed them with a hug for Tori, a wary look for Jade, and a bright smile for each girl. There were kids and parents lining the hall in front of the theater, waiting to audition.

"So, this is the new and improved Ms. West?" A familiar voice asked, walking excitedly over to them, a coconut in his hand. Violet smiled excitedly.

"You're lucky she's improved," Jade told him. "She received some of her father's personality."

Beck shook his head. "She's mostly like Jade."

"So, you're both evil and talented?" Sykowitz asked, then laughed maniacally. Jade shook her head and introduced their old acting teacher to Violet, Lily, and Freddie. When he approached to look at Lily, the small girl hid behind her mother and he laughed again. "You can't charm them all."

Lane gave them a tour of the school, along with three other families. Violet stopped in front of the library and peered at a large picture. "That's mom and dad and Aunt Kitty and - everyone!" Lily stepped out from behind Tori long enough to join Violet and look over the picture - it was a picture taken during rehearsals for Guys and Dolls. Jade and Tori had been costumed - no one else had been.

"I think you'll find pictures of your parents in regular intervals around the school," Lane promised. They continued the tour - this time Lily grasped Violet's hand instead of her mother's.

Once they reached the main hallway once more, the line for auditions had withered. Lane looked at his watch. "We are about five minutes out from Violet's audition - shall we go in?" Violet ran excitedly into the blackbox theater and Jade tried to follow.

"No parents," Lane said, holding up an arm to block her.

"Excuse me?" Jade asked, frightening the other parents with her tone. Beck tried to pull her away but Lane smiled and whispered in her ear. "You know where the lighting booth is." Jade turned on her heel and Beck followed her. Tori knelt next to Lily, who was standing uncertainly in the doorway.

"You don't have to do this unless you want to," Tori told her softly.

"I don't think I can," Lily answered.

"That's okay," Tori promised, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "We can wait outside - "

"Actually," Lane interrupted, from his place standing above Tori, "Lily - would you like to watch Violet? I said no parents - cousins are welcome." He had been informed of the familial status to which the girls adhered. Lily looked at her mother and then looked up at Lane and nodded. She followed him into the blackbox theater and he closed the door.

"She worked so hard," Tori told Freddie. "I don't care if she wants to go to another school - but I just don't want her to regret this."

"She can only do what she's ready for," Freddie reminded her, taking her hand and squeezing it.

"If she's in there, we might as well sneak upstairs and watch Violet." When they arrived on the catwalk, Jade and Beck already had their seats, their legs dangling from the scaffolding. Tori sat between her high school frenemy and her husband. It only took a few moments before Lane invited Violet onto the stage. The little girl ran up the few stairs to the stage and handed her music to the piano player.

"You can start whenever you're ready, Miss Oliver," Lane said, after he had introduced the three other teachers and the school's principal. Violet thanked him and nodded to the piano player. Within seconds, she was dancing and belting "That's How You Know" from _Enchanted_. It was quickly followed by a rousing - and completely comical - rendition of "My Philosophy" from _You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown_. She didn't skip a beat, didn't miss a note, and held more power in her voice than the teachers had heard in years. Jade and Beck were bursting with pride. Neither of them could speak. Jade did a poor job of hiding the tears that kept creeping into her eyes.

Lane thanked Violet and she curtsied with what Tori could only describe as a devilish grin - and left the stage. Shuffling their papers, one of the teachers they didn't know called Lily's name. Lane tried to explain that she wasn't auditioning, but before he could - she was at the bottom step to the stage. Jade could just make out Violet motioning to her from across the room and quickly pointed it out to the rest.

"I should go down there -" Tori said, starting to stand. Jade grabbed her wrist.

"Give her a minute."

She had no music with her, and when the pianist asked for it, she looked startled. Violet ran from the side and shoved a folder at him quickly, then disappeared again from sight. Lily walked over to the man and said something to him quietly. He nodded and stood, leaving the piano. She climbed onto the piano bench and tentatively reached her feet for the pedals. Finding them, she kicked off her shoes. Tori almost laughed; it was something she had been doing since Jade had taught her to use the pedals while playing.

She sang softly at first, but quickly picked up volume. Her first chosen song was "Someone's Waiting for You," from the _Rescuers_. Not a dry eye remained in the house, but Tori knew she had made a few mistakes. It was her nerves, not her ability, but it was still something she needed to make up for. But she was supposed to play her second song - and she clearly wasn't planning on that.

"Shit," Jade said softly. "She can't finish there." Lily was standing from the piano. While all four adults cringed, knowing that it was beautiful, and lovely - and not quite enough - the pianist came back and sat down - and began to play a second song. It was "Notice Me Horton" from _Seussical: The Musical_.

"She never practiced that," Tori said in horror. It didn't matter - it was flawless - and adorable - and might have topped Violet's comedy with "My Philosophy". Lane thanked Lily and she was off like a shot, across the room and out of view - to where Violet had gone.

"We have to get down there," Jade said quickly. They scrambled for the stairs and reached the entrance to the Blackbox Theater just in time to be the last parents to congratulate their children.

"Where did you go?" Violet demanded.

"We'll tell you later," Jade said quickly. The next batch of parents were waiting in the hallway - she didn't want to give away the catwalk location - some things were better kept among alumni. Tori was hugging Lily.

"I did it," Lily said softly.

"I know," Tori answered with a bright smile. "You were amazing." She hugged her daughter tightly, ignoring Lily's brief squeak of discomfort.

"Come on," Beck said finally. "I think we have reservations for lunch or something, right?" He started walking backwards, motioning for his family to follow him. "Let's move it!"

"Wait one minute, Beckett." It was Sikowitz.

"My name's not Beckett," he said.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Well, I got you to stop, didn't I?" He waved an envelope in front of them excitedly and Jade tried to shake her head; she did not want admittance news that day - she told Lane they would wait for the letters like everyone else - especially because she feared that both girls wouldn't get in. They had to find their own way to break the news if that happened.

"I just couldn't wait to give you these," he said, splaying what was in his hand to show them two envelopes. "Welcome, my lovely ladies, to Hollywood Arts." He handed an envelope - one to each child. Violet laughed happily and hugged Lily, who was still processing the information with a look of complete bewilderment.


	2. Identity

Story Two – Identity

Lily had just turned eleven nine-year-old Violet began asking questions - and Jade and Tori knew they were out of time with their secret keeping. Both girls had matriculated into the sixth grade together at Hollywood Arts - and people were mistaking the two little girls for sisters constantly. Tori received a phone call from Lane, giving her the heads-up that teachers and parents were talking. He never asked specific questions, but he remembered what Jade had looked like as a young teen - and Lily was growing up to look very much like her older half-sister.

Violet, curious as always, had been collecting information for quite a long time before confronting her mother. Jade was in the living room, blank and half-filled sheet music spread in front of her, working through a new song. Beck was putting the other girls to bed and Violet was supposed to be reading, but instead she was sneaking up on her mother.

"Mom?" Jade jumped, having been completely caught up in her work. When she realized it was Violet, she closed her eyes for a moment and collected herself. Dropping her pencil on top of the music shelf, she turned to face the young girl.

"What's up, Vi? I thought you were upstairs."

"I was," Violet answered. "I was reading my history assignment. It's about China."

"Interesting?"

"Not really," Violet answered, her voice neutral. "I mean, who doesn't know the basic geography and culture of China? It's repetitive. We learned most of this in third grade."

"The answer to your question," Jade responded, fighting a smile, "is most people. Most people don't know that information – and most people don't remember things after hearing them only one time."

"That would be annoying," Violet answered.

"It is," Jade assured her. She was intelligent, but she had nowhere near the spectacular eidetic memory that Violet possessed. "What's up, Violet? I'm assuming you don't want to pick my brain about the geography and culture of China."

"No," Violet answered seriously. "In history class today, Marissa asked me if Lily and I were twins."

"You guys looks alike," Jade allowed. She tried to seem disinterested in the topic. "But I certainly wouldn't say twins."

"Lily was adopted, right?"

"She was," Jade answered. "You know that. But it's not something you share with strangers. That's her choice – who she wants to tell."

"I wouldn't do that," Violet answered. "So, Lily's not related to us?"

Jade tried to hide her nerves by instead appearing annoyed. She rubbed her right temple; a headache was forming behind her eyes. "Violet, that's enough questions for one night. You know Lily was adopted. End of story. Go and get ready for bed." The tiny brunette didn't argue; she could hear the tension in Jade's voice. She knew when not to push her mother. But she also realized that she had hit a nerve. And Jade saw her realization as it happened. "Upstairs," she said sternly. Violet disappeared and Jade turned back to the piano, resting her face in her hands.

That night, after all of the kids were sleeping, she and Beck left Cat in charge and walked through the backyard to tell Tori of Violet's questions.

"I thought we'd have more time," Tori said softly, after Jade explained the exchange. Tori had shared with her the call from Lane.

"Me too," Jade answered. "Wishful thinking."

"What are we going to tell them?"

"What we tell Lily is the truth – what we tell Violet is up to Lily," Jade answered simply.

"This isn't fair," Tori said angrily, standing up and pacing the kitchen. "She already had to go through all that crap for the first seven years of her life – she shouldn't have to revisit it."

Jade looked at Tori, her eyes full of sympathy. "Tori, I'm sure she thinks about it a lot more than you realize. She'll be fine. Do you want to talk to her? I can, if you prefer. I knew Camilla first hand – I might be more helpful in this situation."

Tori nodded. "Just be careful," she said softly.

If Lily thought it was strange that Jade invited her - and only her - to go with her on a trip to the park a few days later, she said nothing about it. They walked the trails and Lily picked wildflowers - she was still fascinated by the things.

Eventually, they came to a set of swings and Jade sat on one of them, waiting for Lily to join her on the other. "Lily, do you remember anything from before you lived with Tori?" The pre-teen nodded but said nothing. Jade was used to this; the little girl chose her words carefully. "What do you remember?"

"Too much."

"You remember Cam-"

"Don't," the little girl interrupted quickly, sharply. Her voice was never anything but soft; this tone was new.

"Okay," Jade allowed. "But you do know who I am?"

Lily looked at her like she was crazy. "Of course I do."

"In relation to you?"

"You are my aunt - because my mom adopted me and you two are very close. Biologically, you are my sister."

"You remember," Jade said softly.

"I was scared when you found me - not dumb," Lily responded. Jade stifled a laugh. She smiled with amusement at her half-sister. The child had gone through hell and somehow, had retained a sense of humor.

Jade picked up her feet and allowed herself to swing softly in the breeze, then placed her boots back in the dirt to stabilize herself. "People are starting to notice how much you look like Violet - and like me."

"I know," Lily said softly. She heard what the other kids said - the teachers. She had been asked multiple times that year how far apart she and Violet were. Since Violet had gotten taller quicker and they were now about the same size, some even mistook them for twins. "I don't want people to know what happened."

"They don't have to. It's not anyone's business," Jade assured her. "But we have to tell Violet something about how you're related. She's already started asking questions."

"Just don't tell her what they did," Lily responded. Violet was an extremely good secret keeper, but some secrets were too horrific to share with even your best friend.

Jade stood from her swing and knelt on the ground in front of Lily's. "You didn't do anything wrong. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

"You know that's not true," Lily answered, "it's all embarrassing and shameful. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so bad." Jade bit her lip and sighed. She shook her head slightly.

"It still wasn't your fault. And you shouldn't feel ashamed. You didn't do anything wrong – they did. They should be ashamed."

"What are you going to tell Violet?" Lily asked, completely backing away from the subject.

"I will tell her that you were born to someone on my side of the family who was not able to take care of you – so we brought you home – and Tori fell in love and decided to adopt you."

"What is she asks more questions?"

"Violet knows when to stop," Jade assured her. "And if she bothers you about it, let me know – I'll take care of it." She was quote for a moment. She sat back on her heels and looked up at Lily, their eyes meeting. "Do you want to talk about what happened with Camilla and John?"

"No," Lily answered quickly, her tone of voice and expression insinuating that Jade was insane to think that such a thing was a possibility.

"Okay," Jade answered, smiling gently. "But I'm here if you change your mind." The rest of the trip was quiet and just before reaching home, they fell into an easy conversation about school and music. The past was not going to take over their present.

"Why did she hate me so much?" Lily asked, sneaking up on Jade one morning, almost six weeks later. The gate was open – the child had come over from her own home. The older woman was sitting on the back deck, working diligently on a screen play. She looked up at Lily in surprise as her lips pursed. Closing the lid to her laptop, she patted the chair next to her, inviting Lily to sit.

"What she did – it had nothing to do with you," Jade told her. "She hated herself – and you reminded her of all the good she could have been."

"Why did she have to be that way? I didn't do anything wrong." Her voice was straining; she was fighting tears.

"I don't know," Jade answered honestly. "I wish I had a better answer for you. But the sad truth is that some people are bad people. And sometimes bad things happen to good people. And bad people get away with bad things."

"That really sucks."

"Agreed," Jade responded. She pulled her arms around Lily and held her close. They sat in silence for a long time before the woman spoke again. "You are a beautiful, kind, intelligent person. Don't let those monsters take another minute from you. They are not worth it. You are so much better than they ever could have been."

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These stories are going to be in no particular order - they are just moments in time. Let me know if you had any specific lines or parts you liked. I have a few other scenes written, but if you have ideas for other snipets, feel free to share! I can't promise anything - but they may inspire me :-)


	3. The Dog

I think I mentioned this before - but just to be clear - these stories are one-shots and jump around chronologically. Please enjoy - and let me know what you think!

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Little Moments - Story Three – The Dog

"I don't want a dog," Jade said through gritted teeth. She was following Beck through the door to the pound. He was taking her to look at dogs. Big-eyed, shaggy haired dogs.

"The girls do," he responded. "And they really don't ask for a lot."

"That's because we give them everything they could possibly want," Jade told him emphatically, "what's left to ask for?" Despite her negativity, she continued following him begrudgingly. The person working at the desk asked them what they were looking for, introduced herself, and led them into a depressing room full of cages, each cage holding at least one dog.

"I think they make these places purposefully depressing so you can't leave without taking them all with you," Jade told him.

"I think it's depressing because they're innocent, living creatures who don't have homes."

"They could spruce it up a little," Jade grumbled. She looked at the dogs as they walked by and each was more heartbreaking than the last. It was good that Beck had decided not to bring their daughters – or Cat. Either choice would have been catastrophic.

Beck pointed to the ones he liked and Jade shook her head for one reason or another. They were too big, too slobbery, barked too much, or cried too much. She could barely glance at the ones with black fur. Finally, he landed at a cage that held a small dog with brownish red and white fur and floppy ears. When Jade didn't immediately say no, Beck asked the volunteer if they could meet it.

"She's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel," the woman said, opening the cage and picking up the dog.

"That means nothing to me," Jade responded in a single, dry tone.

"They're good family dogs," the woman answered. "Gentle, playful, but not too big – "

"Does she have a name?" Beck asked. He reached over to scratch the dog's head.

"If she does, we don't know it," the woman answered. She led Jade and Beck into a small playroom and put the dog down on the floor. Beck immediately sat on the floor and the dog happily climbed into his lap, licking his hands and allowing him to pet her. Jade knelt beside him and the dog immediately abandoned him for Jade. Despite the fact that she had no interest in touching the ball of fur, the dog was intrigued by her, sniffing her and rubbing against her legs, eventually curling up on top of her right boot with a heavy sigh.

"I like these boots," Jade told him.

"She's not hurting them," Beck told her. "But you are doing to hurt her if you fall over – which you just might if you don't either sit or stand." Jade stood up completely and the dog got up too, watching her with big black eyes. Hand on Beck's shoulder, Jade lowered herself to the floor, crossing her legs. The dog immediately jumped onto her lap, haphazardly circling three times before plopping down again. "She likes you."

"So do millions of people who listen to my music. Does that mean we should bring them all home with us?"

Beck sighed and looked straight at her, their eyes meeting. "It's up to you. We can forget about the dog, if you want. Or we can take her home. I'm not going to force you to get a dog."

"I had a dog once," Jade told him.

"I know," he answered. "I know what happened – but that's not going to happen again."

"I told you?"

"You were high on morphine after that incident with Scarlet and the stairs – but yeah, you told me."

"Huh," Jade said, sitting back against him. "I'm afraid." The words were whispered toward his ear, almost inaudible.

"I know," Beck answered. "But it never stopped you before. And it would make the girls so happy."

"Fine," Jade said with a sigh. "You can take her home – but if she poops on my carpet, she's out." Beck laughed. Through the years, Jade had dealt with far worse than a dog pooping on her carpet with an extremely large amount of grace. Her husband of many years was not worried about the future of an affectionate little dog.

Beck kissed her and then lifted the dog from her lap before standing and helping her to her feet. He carried the dog to the front of the room and after filling out the appropriate paperwork and signing a check, the dog was theirs.

"They should be a little more careful," Jade told him as they walked to the car. "You'd think they'd run background checks or something. What if we were going to eat this thing for dinner?"

"That's truly disturbing," Beck said sternly. "Have you been writing horror scripts again?" She made a face at him but didn't answer. They made another stop at a local pet store and when they arrived home, found that the entire family was gathered on the back porch. Tori and Freddie were making dinner – it was a night they had decided to grill. Violet and Lily sat in the grass, carefully studying a book they held between them. Jade could see that one of their cordless keyboards was on the ground in front of them. A blank composition book was balanced on Violet's knee. Scarlet and Coral were playing on the swing set, supervised and engaged by Cat and Gibby.

Carly, Sam, and Andre had already broken out the beer and wine. Carly hadn't touched her glass of Sangria. She was focused intently on baby Max, her almost-brand-new godson.

Beck and Jade were barely noticed as they stepped out of the car. A twinkling in his eyes, Beck opened the gate that led from the upper driveway to the backyard and set the puppy inside. He let Jade in and closed it again, taking her hand and walking casually up the stairs to where Tori was setting the large picnic tables that had been pushed together and Freddie was grilling.

"What happened?" Tori asked, not wanting to mention the words if it hadn't been what Beck had hoped would be a successful venture. Jade simply cocked her eyebrow and nodded to the little creature who was making her way across the yard to a completely oblivious Lily and Violet.

It only took another twenty seconds before Violet laughed in delight and took the puppy into her arms. Seeing the excitement, the other girls ran over and before long, the puppy had four young girls – and one very enthusiastic redhead – to fawn over it. Eventually, Violet tore herself away and walked to the deck, looking up at her parents.

"Do we get to keep her?"

"Do we really seem that cruel?" Jade asked, looking at Beck for the answer. "Would we really bring a dog home and take it away?" Violet laughed at her mother's method of answering and ran up the stairs to hug them both.

"Thank you!" she said happily. "She's wonderful!" She hugged Jade second. "Are you sure it's okay?" She asked softly. "I know you don't like dogs."

"I think I'll like this one," Jade assured her in a soft voice. She returned to her normal tone. "It's fine. But you, my love, are cleaning up any messes she makes."

"Not a problem!" Violet answered, pulling away from her mother and running back to the puppy, who was now being chased around the yard by Coral and Scarlet.

Jade walked over to the table and took the glass sitting at her spot. It had already been filled with Sangria. It was cold to the touch. She sighed happily and sipped at it. Andre laughed and raised his beer to her. "So, who wants to start a poll – how long will it take Jade to get rid of that little dog?"

"Shut it," she told him simply before taking a longer drink.

Several days later, Jade sat at her piano bench, staring into the large black eyes. "I can see you're enjoying yourself here. So, let's make a deal. We've already covered rule one - I won't throw you out as long as you don't poop in my house. Rule two - never scratch my piano."

"Mom?" Violet was standing next to her, crouching down a bit so their heads were level. She was almost as tall as Jade and her hair was longer, swept back loosely on the sides into two braids that met in the back.

"Yeah?"

"Dad says you really shouldn't threaten the dog."

"It's our thing," Jade responded. She turned her eyes back to the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel sitting on top of her piano. "Right, Tink?" The dog titled her head, looking at Jade sideways. The songstress sighed and started playing. The dog didn't move, but Violet did, going into the kitchen to find a snack. Beck was already there, making himself a sandwich.

Violet grabbed a yogurt from the refrigerator and a spoon from the drawer. "Your sisters are outside," Beck told her. "Why don't you take the dog outside to play with them?"

"The dog likes mom better than the rest of us."

"Just thank your lucky stars she likes the thing," Beck told her, kissing her forehead before putting his sandwich on a plate and going to the back deck to watch whatever game Coral and Scarlet were playing. Violet sighed, removed the lid from her yogurt and throwing it away before following her dad.


	4. Panic

Panic

Lily was twelve when she had her first full-blown panic attack. They were having dinner at Jade's house - and it was for Freddie's birthday so the crowd was much larger than usual. Ella and Bryan, Marissa Benson, Carly and Sam, Spencer Shay, Gibby and Guppy, and several teachers he worked with. Lily had been hugged and exclaimed over more times that she cared to count - and she had finally found cover in the corner of the living room behind the piano, hidden behind the drapes. Violet had seen her disappear, but her cousin was unlikely to tell on her. They knew many of one another's secrets - and Violet knew the extent of Lily's social fear. The noise from the dining room, kitchen, living room, and family room was deafening. It garbled in Lily's ears, making her feel hot and dizzy. Her mother's voice broke through the haze. It was time to eat - and they were looking for her.

Lily couldn't do it - she couldn't sit at the table with all of these people and eat her food and pretend that it wasn't too much of everything. Too many people, too much chaos, too much talking, too much noise.

"Lily?" Tori called. "Lily, it's time to eat." Lily knew the path she was going to take. Tori looked in the music room, the living room, the bathroom. Freddie realized something was amiss and joined her. She heard them run up the stairs. They would check Violet's room - Coral's room - Cat's room - the guest rooms. While her mother and father were panicking and trying to find her, Lily was watching her vision swim in front of her. She heard steps approaching her and saw familiar black heels - each had a lacy black bow - before everything went dark.

It was Jade who had found Lily. She called for Tori, then screamed for Beck when the child slumped over in her hiding place, unconscious. Beck reached her almost immediately, as did Byron and Spencer. Because of the way in which she'd wedged herself behind the piano, Byron and Spencer had to slide it away from the wall so that Beck could step in and lift Lily out. Tori and Freddie had run back down the stairs and reached the living room as Beck was carrying their daughter to the sofa.

"Everyone but Tori, Freddie, and Sam - out of this room," Jade ordered bossily. Cat and Violet were particularly indignant, but Ella soothed them and led them back toward the kitchen. Sam walked over to the sofa and knelt next to Tori, taking Lily's pulse. Carly had run to the car and returned quickly with Sam's bag, handing it to the blonde. Lily started to come around as Sam listened to her heart and took her blood pressure.

"Sleeping Beauty is waking up," Sam said with a small smile. Under her fingertips, she felt Lily's heart start to race as her eyes fluttered open. "Hey, kid-o, what happened?"

Lily started to say something but it came out mostly as a stammer and then she was out again. Sam did her vitals one more time and then stood. "I'm sure it was just a panic attack – but we should get her to the hospital to be sure." She looked at Freddie. "Get her in the car and follow me – I'll call ahead so she can be admitted right away."

Tori was silent, her eyes glassy as she became overwhelmed by the events. She felt Jade at her elbow. "You need to snap out of it," her friend told her softly. "Lily needs you. Stay calm – she's going to be fine. You heard Sam – it's just a precaution." In the end, Tori popped two Klonopin in her mouth and allowed them to dissolve as she sat in the back of the car, her daughter's head in her lap.

"It was a panic attack," Sam told them almost three hours later, walking into the small room where Tori, Freddie, Jade, and Beck were waiting impatiently. She had her white coat on over her party dress and Freddie had to admit - although he didn't often think of Sam as a full-fledged adult - she was solid when things got rough. Tori didn't seem at all helped by her diagnosis. She let her face fall to her hands and she cried. Jade had a hand on her shoulder, Freddie another on her knee. No one knew what to say.

"Are you sure?" Tori asked finally. "Nothing else is wrong?"

"I had them do an EEG - it's a sonogram of the heart. There's nothing wrong with her heart - her blood tests came back clean - nothing wrong with the liver or kidneys. Her pulse and heart rate and blood pressure - those are all high. But with no physical cause. We've ruled out the other possibilities - we're left with the original assumption. And the one most likely. She panicked - didn't have enough oxygen - and fainted."

Tori nodded, closing her eyes. "Can we take her home?"

Sam grimaced. "She's under some pretty powerful sedatives. I'd recommend keeping her for observation until morning." She paused, clearly trying to decide what she was going to say. "And I would like to talk to Kate about medications."

The next morning, Tori was wide awake when Lily began to open her eyes. Freddie had just left to find them palatable coffee. "Hi, sweetie," she said softly.

"Hi," Lily responded, her eyes darting around the room, looking at her surroundings. Tori heard one of the monitors begin to beep more incessantly.

"Lily, look at me. Everything is okay. You're alright. We're going home really soon. Okay?" The monitor was still beeping - probably sixty seconds had elapsed - and Sam walked into the room, her white coat shed. She turned off the monitor that was making all of the noise and sat on the edge of the bed, facing Lily.

"Hey, Kid," Sam said happily. Lily tried to smile, but her eyes gave away her complete fear. "We're going to get you out of here as soon as we can. Probably after they serve breakfast." She made a face. " Which is kind of gross - so you'll probably just want to eat again at home." That worked - Lily smiled.

"Can we ask your mom to wait outside for a few minutes?" Lily looked at Tori for a minute and nodded. Tori didn't want to leave - but at this point, the choice had been taken away from her - she kissed Lily's forehead and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"We need to talk about what happened last night," Sam told her. "You scared everyone pretty good - we don't want that to happen again. Alright?" Lily nodded.

"Before you fainted - were you afraid of something? Even if you didn't know what it was?"

"It was everything," Lily said softly. Sam waited patiently - she hadn't counted on the pre-teen being willing to talk. Lily was usually extremely quiet. But after a few minutes of silence, she continued. "There were too many people - and too much noise. And I didn't feel good."

"I get it," Sam agreed. "People can be downright annoying - especially when they come in big groups. Did you feel dizzy or lightheaded?" Lily nodded. "Sick to your stomach?" Another nod. "Sweaty or hot?" And another. "Did you have a hard time breathing?" And another.

"Anything else?"

"All the noise," Lily answered. "The talking didn't make sense and it was all buzzing in my ears - and I couldn't see anything. And my heart hurt."

Sam nodded. "Alright. That pretty much sucks, huh?" Lily agreed wholeheartedly. "How many times has that happened before?" Lily looked at her in surprise. Sam's expression softened even more. "These things don't just start out of nowhere, sweet pea - they get bigger and bigger until we do something to take care of them. How many times?"

"I don't know," Lily answered honestly. Her voice broke, defeated. "But it was never that bad before."

"I know," Sam answered softly. "We'll figure this out. But you have to speak up if something is wrong. When you were uncomfortable at the party, what would have happened if you would have told your mom?"

"She would have taken me home," Lily answered.

"And would she have been angry?"

"No."

"Then why not tell her?"

"It was Dad's birthday." Her face fell as she realized what had happened. "I didn't want to ruin it - but I ruined it anyway."

"Lily, you didn't ruin anything," Sam insisted. "Look at me." Blue eyes turned to meet brown ones. Lily's were filled with tears. Sam's voice was firm and she reached over to hold the young girls' hand. "You did not ruin anything. Freddie's best present yesterday was finding out that you were okay. He's not angry - no one is angry. Everyone is just happy that you're not hurt. Do you understand me?" Lily nodded, but her eyes were still brimming with tears. Sam called for Tori. Literally - she bellowed. Tori walked back into the room and sat on Lily's other side. Freddie was right behind her, carrying coffee that he set on the window seat. He kissed Lily's forehead and gave her a quick hug before standing beside the bed, waiting for his old friend to speak.

"Everything okay?" Tori asked, looking up at Sam.

"It is," Sam told her. "Lily has a pretty unpleasant panic disorder -but we're going to do everything we can to fix that. I just told her that when she's not feeling well - when something is upsetting - she needs to tell you right away." Tori nodded. "I'm going to see if I can talk to Dr. Kate. If I can, I'll get you a prescription to start with before you leave. Otherwise, you're going to have to see her as soon as you can."

Lily's panic attacks improved after that climactic day. Tori and Freddie watched more carefully for signs that she was overwhelmed and helped her learn when to ask for help. She visited more often with her psychiatrist and worked on methods to calm herself down when things became too much. She did start taking anxiety medication – something that broke Tori's heart. But after several cocktails, they found one that worked without affecting her personality. It was hard for her mother to stomach because she knew all too well how painful it was to live with panic attacks - but it made her more determined and well situated to help her child.

* * *

This wasn't fluffy - bit it was a moment that I always knew was going to happen, but didn't quite fit in with the stories. Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know your thoughts. What did you like? Not like? Questions or other thoughts?


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